Crowded field is good for voters

We greeted with gratitude the news over the weekend of two Democratic candidates joining the race for the 38th district state senate seat currently held by Republican Tom Casperson of Escanaba.

While we certainly feel Sen. Casperson has done a fine job representing the district, we welcome a spirited campaign where the issues are brought up and discussed.

The two candidates who announced this weekend come from varied backgrounds. Adam Robarge, 38, is a transplant from Northern Lower Michigan, educated at Northern Michigan University and is currently the community liaison for Marquette’s Ore Dock Brewing Company.

22-year-old Chris LaMarche of Gladstone is still in college, finishing his senior year at Michigan State University in pursuit of a degree in microbiology and genetics.

According to Marquette Mining Journal writer Jackie Stark’s article about the candidates, both seem passionate about the position and have a grasp on the issues important to the state and the U.P. While we are glad to see two people in the primary hunt, frankly, we’d like to see more. The filing deadline is less than two weeks and away and we’re hoping to see at least a candidate or two, from both parties join the race.

Particularly, we’d like to see a candidate from the Western U.P. participate in the process. While we don’t necessisarly feel geography plays a role in a candidate’s qualifications, each area of the Peninsula is unique in its own right. Bringing the sensitivity of the entire senate district into the campaign is good for everyone.

While we await with anticipation the start of what should be a competitive senate race, we’d love to see the field become just a bit more crowded.